Month: April 2017

Amazon probably will not make any top 10 list as far CSR’s go ( Corporate Social Responsibility) regarding investment in the community as it relates to profits but they do have initiatives that help the community and may be working their way up the chart. Let’s face it Jeff Bezos does not like to be second at anything. One example is AmazonSmile, a program where a customer on Amazon’s website can agree to make a donation and Amazon gives this to charity. The resulting donations come from Amazon from money gathered from their customers.

In late 2014 Amazon appointed a director of social responsibility to answer criticism about business practices. This resulted in a number of initiatives for improved working conditions and the Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging initiative for environmentally friendly packaging. Other programs are Amazon Device Donation Program – for donation of electronic devices to schools located near Amazon fulfillment centers; Girls Who Code- to help get more girls interested in coding, and, Amazon Career Choice Program – which pre-pays 95% of tuition for employees who take pre-approved courses relevant to careers at Amazon.

Amazon also invested in using recycled heat to minimize the energy footprint of their three million square foot office in Seattle. They have also added a Sustainability Landing page on their website that discusses upcoming initiatives like Texas Wind Farms and use of Solar Power.

However, the company has not yet made this a top priority and still, to the best of my knowledge, not released an annual sustainability or a CSR report which is unusual for a company the size of Amazon. They are making progress, but critics say they should be doing more.